The Lion City Sailors produced a commanding display on Sunday (9 February) night to secure a 4-1 victory over Tanjong Pagar United in the Singapore Premier League (SPL), with Lennart Thy bagging his first hat-trick for the club in an eye-catching performance at the Bishan Stadium.
With the chance to go six points clear at the top of the SPL, Sailors head coach Aleksandar Ranković — back in the dugout after recovering from illness — named a strong starting XI which featured the likes of Maxime Lestienne, Shawal Anuar, and Bailey Wright.
The Sailors wasted no time asserting their dominance, carving out their first chance as early as the 4th minute. Bart Ramselaar released Maxime Lestienne down the right, and the Belgian managed to get a shot off from a tight angle, but Tanjong Pagar goalkeeper Matthew Silva was equal to it.
But the Sailors did not have to wait long to take the lead as in the 11th minute, a cleverly taken quick free-kick caught the Jaguars’ defence off guard, allowing Maxime to force another fine save from Silva. However, the rebound fell kindly to Lennart, who swivelled and finished emphatically to give the Sailors an early advantage.
The duo combined again in the 21st minute, with Maxime whipping in a teasing cross for an unmarked Lennart, who rose to meet it but could only direct his header straight at Silva.
Three minutes later, Song Uiyoung’s inswinging corner found Bailey, and the Australian made no mistake from close range as he guided the ball past the despairing Silva. The goal, his fourth of the SPL campaign, saw Bailey match his highest-ever season tally – a record he last set with Preston North End in the 2013/14 season.
Just before half-time, the Sailors thought they had a third when Diogo Costa, making his second consecutive league start, delivered a delightful low cross that Lennart smartly finished at the far post. However, the goal was rightly ruled out for a marginal offside.
The first-half statistics painted a clear picture of the Sailors’ superiority — 68% possession and 10 attempts on goal, while Tanjong Pagar failed to register a single shot, leaving goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud a mere spectator.
However, Tanjong Pagar came out fighting after the break, and Izwan was finally called into action in the 47th minute when Syahadat Masnawi unleashed a fierce volley, which the Sailors custodian tipped over the bar.
But normal service soon resumed, and in the 59th minute, the Sailors got their third goal – Silva misjudged the flight of a cross into the box, allowing the ball to fall kindly to Shawal, who unselfishly squared it for Lennart to tap into an empty net for his second of the night.
The goal deflated Tanjong Pagar, and they nearly conceded again just six minutes later. However, Rezza Resky’s goal-line clearance denied Toni Datković, whose header from Maxime’s corner was mere inches from crossing the line.
But there was no denying the Sailors in the 69th minute when the impressive Diogo was set free down the left and delivered a pinpoint first-time cross for an onrushing Lennart, who finished with aplomb for his hat-trick. Initially flagged for offside, the goal was eventually awarded after a VAR review.
The treble meant Lennart has now netted 18 goals in as many SPL appearances for the Sailors, and he is now the league’s joint-second highest scorer alongside Dejan Račić (Hougang United) and Kodai Tanaka (Balestier Khalsa).
Things went from bad to worse for Tanjong Pagar in the 74th minute when Faizal Roslan received his second yellow card for lashing out at Bart after a tussle, as the Jaguars were reduced to 10 men.
New Sailors signing Akram Azman made his debut against his former club in the 76th minute and did enough in his short cameo to impress Ranko, as the Serb said, “I think he played well — it’s not easy to go up against a team that defends solidly, but he had one or two chances where, with a little bit of luck, he could have had an assist.”
But it was another substitute, Abdul Rasaq Akeem, who came close to getting on the scoresheet in the 85th minute, when a cross from the right found him unmarked at the back post, but his effort was well saved by Silva.
Two minutes later, Maxime played a neat through ball into the path of Hafiz Nor, who tried to side-foot his effort home, but Silva was once again on hand to keep the scoreline from becoming more lopsided.
Tanjong Pagar did manage to grab a consolation goal in the 89th minute though, with Tomoki Wada’s free-kick going in off the post to deny the Sailors what would have been their seventh clean sheet of the season.
Ultimately, it was a comfortable victory for the Sailors, who have now moved six points clear at the top of the table, despite having played one game fewer than their nearest rivals, BG Tampines Rovers.
Reflecting on his team’s commanding display, Ranko said, “The guys did a great job maintaining the tempo even after going 2-0 up, so we’re happy. The only downside is conceding a goal, but we can’t be too critical. We deserved to win — we were the better team, created plenty of chances, and with the incredible support at home, we gave everything we had.
“We have many games this month, and today’s performance was a positive step. We controlled the game well, and I’m pleased with (Lennart’s) hat-trick. It was a solid performance, and we’re looking forward to the challenges ahead.”
The Sailors will now shift their focus to continental action this Thursday (13 February) when they face Thai powerhouse Muangthong United in the first leg of their AFC Champions League (ACL) Two Round of 16 tie at the Thunder Dome Stadium in Nonthaburi, Thailand — a match Ranko has hailed as one of the most important of their season.
He said, “The game against Muangthong will be our biggest of the season so far. We’ve come a long way, so we’ll give our best and show everyone what we’re capable of.”
